A64 3000+ or 2.8C P4?

[tusitha]

I'm looking to build a new PC and was wondering which of the 2 is worth buying at the moment, the Athlon 64 3000+ or P4 2.8C?

I know the A64 is definitely faster than the 2.8C at stock speeds but I plan to overclock the P4 to ~3.5ghz (FSB 250 on stock cooling with FSB:RAM ratio at 5:4) if I do get the 2.8C which is a cheaper alternative by around AUS$80

I'm planning to pair either of the 2 with an Asus K8V (for A64) or Asus P4P800 (for P4) and GIEL DDR 400 RAM

Does anyone have benchmarks that compare the A64 against an overclocked P4 2.8C?

Moreover has anyone achieved a 3.5ghz clock on the P4 2.8C on stock cooling?

And finally, any thoughts on how the A64 will perform when winXp 64bit comes out (if ever)?

I will be using this PC primarily for gaming.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[Vette73]

For gaming I would go Athlon64.

Athlon 64 = Business software (office, etc...), gaming, etc....

P4 = Video editing, encoding, etc...

I juts sold my P4 setup and am getting a Athlon64 3000+ with a Alb. board

 

[CyGoR]

From what I've read, the 64bits version of Windows will run much faster on the A64 then the current XP..
The A64 3000+ is indeed much faster then the 2.8C, but it won't OC that much like the PIV does.. So OC'ing the
PIV to 3.4 of even higher will be faster then the A64.. But not when Windows 64bits edition arives
It's a hard choice, I know..

 

[tusitha]

yes, it is a hard choice.

I suppose if I went for the A64 3000+, I'd most likely try to overclock it to around 2.2Ghz but I wonder if I'd manage with just DDR400. Any idea if A64 mobos (VIA K8T800) have DRAM timings as a percentage of the FSB like in the K7 mobos?

Any more opinions you'd like to share?

 

[mechBgon]

LinuxHardware.org did some comparison between 32-bit and 64-bit Linux here: link to benchmarks How's a 30% improvement in encoding speed sound, for starters

Ace's Hardware did some 64-bit Windows and Linux testing here: more benchies How's a 100% improvement in file compression sound? Ok, that is in Linux, not Windows... On the next page they show some 32-bit apps on 64-bit Windows, not so great; but as they say, it's still a beta OS on beta drivers or else 32-bit drivers being adapted on-the-fly.

64-bit-optomized games should show some improvement too, from what one game developer said.

Bigger picture: there appears to be potential in 64-bit in certain types of processing. Whether that's worth factoring in might depend on whether you want to dish out $150 for a new flavor of Windows and how long you intend to keep the computer before another upgrade.

Welcome to the Forums tusitha

 

[tusitha]

mechBgon:

thanks for your post and links. I've just finished reading Ace's article and am convinced. I'm definitely going for 64bit

Thanks guys for the heads up.

 

[mechBgon]

Me too, my A64 3000+ should be here this week